This collapsible and foldable helmet could change bike safety as we know it

When riding a bike, wearing a helmet is an important safety precaution, especially in a busy city or a suburban street. It’s like wearing a seatbelt in a car: you hope you never need it, but you sure are glad you have it strapped around you if you get into an accident. 

But while cars come with seatbelts built in, a bike helmet is something you have to actively thinking about. They’re usually too big and bulky to bring with you all the time, which means that it’s all to easy to leave them at home.

Currently seeking funding on IndieGoGo, Brooklyn-based company Park & Diamond has created a collapsible bike helmet that’s stylish, ultra-portable, breathable, and reportedly safe. The helmet (which looks like a snazzy baseball cap) only weighs eight ounces and completely folds into itself, so it can be taken just about anywhere. It’s small enough to be carried inside of a reusable wide-mouth water bottle, a backpack, or a large purse, while the campaign page claims that the helmet is safe enough to prevent head trauma in an accident. 

According to the company’s website, the helmet complies with U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission guidelines and standards, Canadian cycling helmet safety certification standards, and European Union regulations, so you know it’s built tough for head protection.

Check it out: 

David Hall, president and co-founder of Park & Diamond, created the helmet after his sister was involved in a 2015 hit-and-run car accident in Philadelphia, leaving her in a coma for four months. (She has since fully recovered from her injuries and graduated from college the following year.)

“Our mission is to improve safety,” says Hall. “The company is named after the intersection where my sister’s accident occurred, and we are focused on protecting as many people’s heads as possible while developing accessible and portable products to fit everyone’s personal style —whether they ride a bike or kick scooter.”

After he discovered more than 85,000 Americans suffer a cycling-related traumatic brain injury every year, and that about 97 percent of people who died in a bike accident were not wearing a helmet, Hall had the idea for a collapsible helmet that he developed with co-founder Jordan Klein.

85,000 Americans suffer a cycling-related traumatic brain injury every year

Along with former SpaceX engineer Zak Koster, Hall and Klein used their engineering and design backgrounds to create a new type of bike helmet that’s portable, stylish, and that would save lives at the same time. In addition, the company boasts that their helmet is more comfortable and wearable than traditional ones.

“It’s designed to be adjustable to the wearer’s head,” Hall says. “The mesh fabric allows the helmet to breathe, so it’s comfortable even in warm weather. Our unique composite and flexible helmet is form fitting and fits snugly and securely.”

In fact, the Park & Diamond bike helmet uses protective materials — including 3D mesh fabric, EVA foam, a polycarbonate shell, and a proprietary composite layer — that absorbs and then dissipates elastic energy three times more than traditional helmets that release the energy back into the wearer’s head. After three years of testing and development, the Park & Diamond collapsible bike helmet is now ready for production, as the company has taken to IndieGoGo for additional funding and pre-orders.

Starting at $79, you can help fund and pre-order a collapsible bike helmet and its carrying case. Helmets come in select colors and styles, which are yet to be announced until the campaign comes to a close at the end of October. 

Park & Diamond also offers other packages with up to four helmets available. However, keep in mind these bike helmets are still prototypes until they are shipped to consumers. The final product is expected to roll out in March 2019, while super early bird orders would ship a month early in February.